I was meant to be on Annual Leave this week but something got messed-up on the schedule so I had to go in to work, but I didn't have another day for at least six weeks when I could put in the cabinets.

When the shift was ending, all 3 night crews in the district were in the station on arrests with 2 of the 3 evening cars held-over (also both grounded in the station), and the city was well-established into a raging inferno of criminal activity and looked to be burning to the ground, metaphorically speaking (literally in the case of a few arson calls). 143 calls in the queue with 9 priority 2's (immediate danger including active assaults in progress). The most I have seen thus far in my career have been 3 or 4 P2's. The dispatcher was calling the Sgt.'s and desperately searching for a crew that could respond. Everyone was tied down.

The Sgt. said we looked like zombies. I said: "Brrraaaaaaiiiiins!!!" and laughed like a hyena. Couldn't help it. It wasn't really funny, but I was giddy with exhaustion. He said he was thinking of sending us out to shag calls but after looking at us, he decided we were more of a liability than an asset out there.